Mar מַר

Mar (Hebrew מַר, Strong's H4751) is a Hebrew adjective meaning “bitter”. It occurs 37 times in 34 verses of the Old Testament.

Definition

From the STEPBible Brief Lexicon of Hebrew (based on the abridged Brown-Driver-Briggs), STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0.

Translated as

Topics

• Bitterness

Verses

Every verse with Mar, with the English words that translate it highlighted (KJV or BSB; other translations show the KJV here).

Genesis

• Genesis 27:34
  And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.When Esau heard his father’s words, he let out a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me too, O my father!”

Exodus

• Exodus 15:23
  And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the water there because it was bitter. (That is why it was named Marah.)

Numbers

• Numbers 5:18
  And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord, and uncover the woman’s head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering: and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse:After the priest has the woman stand before the LORD, he is to let down her hair and place in her hands the grain offering of memorial, which is the grain offering for jealousy. The priest is to hold the bitter water that brings a curse.
• Numbers 5:19
  And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse:And he is to put the woman under oath and say to her, ‘If no other man has slept with you and you have not gone astray and become defiled while under your husband’s authority, may you be immune to this bitter water that brings a curse.
• Numbers 5:23
  And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water:And the priest shall write these curses on a scroll and wash them off into the bitter water.
• Numbers 5:24
  And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse: and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter.He is to have the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and it will enter her and cause her bitter suffering.
• Numbers 5:27
  And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people.When he has made her drink the water, if she has defiled herself and been unfaithful to her husband, then the water that brings a curse will enter her and cause bitter suffering; her belly will swell, her thigh will shrivel, and she will become accursed among her people.

Judges

• Judges 18:25
  And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household.The Danites said to him, “Do not raise your voice against us, or angry men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.”

1 Samuel

• 1 Samuel 1:10
  And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore.In her bitter distress, Hannah prayed to the LORD and wept with many tears.
• 1 Samuel 15:32
  Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites.” Agag came to him cheerfully, for he thought, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”
• 1 Samuel 22:2
  And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.And all who were distressed or indebted or discontented rallied around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.

2 Samuel

• 2 Samuel 2:26
  Then Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long shall it be then, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren?Then Abner called out to Joab: “Must the sword devour forever? Do you not realize that this will only end in bitterness? How long before you tell the troops to stop pursuing their brothers?”
• 2 Samuel 17:8
  For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father and his men, that they be mighty men, and they be chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field: and thy father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.He continued, “You know your father and his men. They are mighty men, and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Moreover, your father is a man of war who will not spend the night with the troops.

Esther

• Esther 4:1
  When Mordecai perceived all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry;When Mordecai learned of all that had happened, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the middle of the city, wailing loudly and bitterly.

Job

• Job 3:20
  Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul;Why is light given to the miserable, and life to the bitter of soul,
• Job 7:11
  Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
• Job 10:1
  My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.“I loathe my own life; I will express my complaint and speak in the bitterness of my soul.
• Job 21:25
  And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure.Yet another man dies in the bitterness of his soul, having never tasted prosperity.

Psalms

• Psalm 64:3
  Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:who sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their bitter words like arrows,

Proverbs

• Proverbs 5:4
  But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a double-edged sword.
• Proverbs 27:7
  The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.The soul that is full loathes honey, but to a hungry soul, any bitter thing is sweet.
• Proverbs 31:6
  Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.Give strong drink to one who is perishing, and wine to the bitter in soul.

Ecclesiastes

• Ecclesiastes 7:26
  And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is ensnared.

Isaiah

• Isaiah 5:20
  Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter.
• Isaiah 33:7
  Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.Behold, their valiant ones cry aloud in the streets; the envoys of peace weep bitterly.
• Isaiah 38:15
  What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.What can I say? He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done this. I will walk slowly all my years because of the anguish of my soul.
• Isaiah 38:17
  Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.Surely for my own welfare I had such great anguish; but Your love has delivered me from the pit of oblivion, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.

Jeremiah

• Jeremiah 2:19
  Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord God of hosts.Your own evil will discipline you; your own apostasies will reprimand you. Consider and realize how evil and bitter it is for you to forsake the LORD your God and to have no fear of Me,” declares the Lord GOD of Hosts.

Ezekiel

• Ezekiel 3:14
  So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the Lord was strong upon me.So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the LORD upon me.
• Ezekiel 27:30
  And shall cause their voice to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes:They will raise their voices for you and cry out bitterly. They will throw dust on their heads and roll in ashes.
• Ezekiel 27:31
  And they shall make themselves utterly bald for thee, and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of heart and bitter wailing.They will shave their heads for you and wrap themselves in sackcloth. They will weep over you with anguish of soul and bitter mourning.

Amos

• Amos 8:10
  And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation. I will cause everyone to wear sackcloth and every head to be shaved. I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son, and its outcome like a bitter day.

Habakkuk

• Habakkuk 1:6
  For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs.For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans— that ruthless and impetuous nation which marches through the breadth of the earth to seize dwellings not their own.

Zephaniah

• Zephaniah 1:14
  The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.The great Day of the LORD is near— near and coming quickly. Listen, the Day of the LORD! Then the cry of the mighty will be bitter.

Notes

1. Definition and verse list from STEPBible's tagged Hebrew Old Testament (TAHOT) and Greek New Testament (TAGNT) and Brief Lexicons, STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0.
2. English renderings from the public-domain KJV with Strong's numbers (eBible.org) and the Berean Standard Bible interlinear (public domain).